A reminder to everyone - FatallyFlawed - Child Plug Socket Covers Campaign

[Knobhead]

This is a BIG thank you to the mods and admin for keeping this thread in the top of the forum.

29 years I’ve been fighting the bloody things*, I’ll never stop!


*Before my son was born we were as new parents given a pack of socket covers. OK seems like a good idea until I looked at the design!
My son is now 28 and is a member of this forum.

 

[RyanHunter]

Very interesting, Had never thought about this before, I will make sure everyone that I know is aware of this. Thank you for the information.

 

[Knobhead]

Written evidence has been submitted by FatallyFlawed to the committee reviewing the new Consumer Rights Bill, you can see the committee webpage here:
http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2013-14/consumerrights/committees/houseofcommonspublicbillcommitteeontheconsumerrightsbill201314.html

The evidence covers the socket cover issue, other plug related dangers which concern the FatallyFlawed sister campaign, PlugSafe, and the need for prevention of the sale of illegal goods through sites such as Amazon and ebay. The actual submission is here:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmpublic/consumer/memo/cr22.htm

I would really like to see fellow electricians writing to their MPs and drawing attention to the issue via this evidence, if you have a personal story to add – even better.

Here are the committee members and their constituencies. We need messages to as many MPs as possible, but committee members especially.

Steve Baker, Wycombe
Rehman Chishti, Gillingham and Rainham
Oliver Colvile, Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport
Stella Creasy, Walthamstow
Stephen Doughty, Cardiff South and Penarth
Mark Durkan, Foyle
Robert Flello, Stoke-on-Trent South
Sheila Gilmore, Edinburgh East
Mary Glindon, North Tyneside
Sam Gyimah, East Surrey
Rebecca Harris, Castle Point
Kwasi Kwarteng, Spelthorne
Andy McDonald, Middlesbrough
Stephen McPartland, Stevenage
Tessa Munt, Wells
Brooks Newmark, Braintree
Fiona O'Donnell, East Lothian
Laura Sandys, South Thanet
Jenny Willott, Cardiff Central

The page to find details of an MP is here (this has links to their own parliamentary pages with email address):
http://www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps

 

[joejesney]

Have today written to my local press. Await their response.

 

[FatallyFlawed]

Voltimum have published an article today:
http://www.voltimum.co.uk/articles/campaign-improvements-regulation-and-consumer-protection-bs-1363-mains-plugs-and-sockets

 

[nickblake]

After constantly finding broken off earth pins from these so called safety plugs in several sockets and finding faulty sockets which were potentially caused by them ,During an EICR I will issue a Code C2 if i find any in use simple as that

 

[FatallyFlawed]

Thought I would share the latest idiocy I have stumbled upon, a decorated add on for an American socket cover! Now, socket covers in the US actually do serve some purpose as shuttered sockets only became available there a few years ago, and they are still not standard. despite that they are not very effective as they are far too easy to remove. Given that, it is almost inconceivable that someone has designed a range of decorative add-ons which both attract children to the socket, and make the cover even easier to remove! American sockets always come in pairs, and you can see that this stupid device will only cover one of the pair. Take a look at the rear view - you can see just how big the add-on is compared with the cover itself, and how easy it would be for a child to grab hold of one using both hands.

We live in a mad mad world.......

 

[Daveknowle]

Good read told my sister to remove them from her home that's another you have helped cheers tony

 

[Knobhead]

Thirty years ago my family though I was mad by refusing to let the wife fit them.

Did your sister argue?

 

[Tommy C]

I always mention they are less safe than the built in socket protection itself and reduce overall safety. That they are poorly made and the earth pin is bigger and stronger and if snapped off in place is especially dangerous and is what I always think about, leaving the shutters up.

Also we normally fit MK sockets, which I inform people need pressure on all three pins to open the shutters, further increasing safety (they can be forced but are significantly better than most).

People often say they didn't know that but you still often see them there later on. Will mention the website from now on so they actually believe me.

 

[Boaky]

Re: Fatally Flawed

Why are they banned please

 

[trev]

Re: Fatally Flawed

Why are they banned please

They're not. But we want them to be. Take a look through this thread and at the Fatally Flawed site and you'll see why. I thought it would have been pretty obvious but I guess if you've never thought about them it won't be so have a dig into it mate. You'll come to the same conclusion as the rest of us.

 

[Knobhead]

FatallyFlawed

 

[Plonker 3]

I have pointed quite a few people in the way of this campaign. But just recently I had to not mention it, the person we were doing the job for has been a complete nightmare and been blaming everyone and everyone for any minor misdemeanour on site or to try and save a couple of pence here and there, I knew if I pointed this out to them that if anything did happen they would also blame me for it.

 

[Geordie Spark]

I have pointed quite a few people in the way of this campaign. But just recently I had to not mention it, the person we were doing the job for has been a complete nightmare and been blaming everyone and everyone for any minor misdemeanour on site or to try and save a couple of pence here and there, I knew if I pointed this out to them that if anything did happen they would also blame me for it.

Looks like you hold a very responsible position - whatever goes wrong YOU are responsible for it!!

 

[Plonker 3]

Not really, just the person we were doing the work for thought that if he could blame someone else they would even twisting words we said. Quite sad really.

 

[Knobhead]

From David at Fatally Flawed

An update on today’s IET Webcast “Working to engineer a better world”.

The subject was raised, but the only comment was made by Nigel Fine, the Chief Executive, who clearly had no idea of the significance of the issues. Please bear in mind that the socket cover issue was first raised with the IET at the beginning of 2008. If you did not hear the live webcast, you can hear the recording here, the segment begins at 25:00 minutes:
MyVoice: Working to engineer a better world webcast

Mr Fine waffles about investigating the issues and if necessary feeding into the wiring regs committee for incorporation into the regs if required.

 

[Spoon]

I was in a meeting last week and they were going on about safety and how we should use some of the fire safety ideas at home as well. I thought that it would be a good idea to point out the dangers of the 'safety' socket cover. One of the main project guys actually laughed at me. "Its a safety item".... Even after explaining everything to him he still wasn't having any of it. You just can't help some people...

 

[Knobhead]

That’s what we’re up against, 30 years of misinformation. To get people to see sense all the ingrained dogma has to be cleared aside.

Don’t give up the fight because of this set back.

 

[Knobhead]

Just a reminder to everyone, could you all please keep banging the drum for the Fatally Flawed site and campaign?